BLOG TOUR: 2019 SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARDS

The Sydney Taylor Book Award will be showcasing its 2019 gold and silver medalists with a Blog Tour, February 10-14, 2019! Interviews with winning authors and illustrators will appear on a variety of Jewish and kidlit blogs. Interviews will appear on the dates below, and will remain available to read at your own convenience.

Below is the schedule for the 2019 Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour. Please follow the links to visit the hosting blogs on or after their tour dates, and be sure to leave them plenty of comments!

2019 SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARD BLOG TOUR

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2019

Emily Jenkins and Paul Zelinsky, author and illustrator of All-of-a-Kind Family HanukkahSydney Taylor Book Award in the Younger Readers CategoryAt Out of the Box at the Horn Book

Monday, January 28, 2019

Winners of the annual Sydney Taylor Book Award were announced by the
Association of Jewish Libraries today in Seattle, WA at the Youth Media
Awards press conference of the American Library Association. Named in
memory of Sydney Taylor, author of the classic All-of-a-Kind Family
series, the award recognizes books for children and teens that
exemplify high literary standards while authentically portraying the
Jewish experience.

2019 marks the first time the Sydney Taylor Book Awards have been
included in the American Library Association Youth Media Award
announcements.

GOLD MEDALISTS

All-of-a-Kind-Family Hanukkah by Emily
Jenkins, illustrated by Paul Zelinsky, published by Schwartz & Wade,
an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, won the Sydney Taylor Book
Award in the Younger Readers category. In this meticulously researched
Hanukkah story based on the classic children’s book All-of-a-Kind
Family, poetic language and exuberant illustrations perfectly capture
the emotions of each of the iconic sisters as they prepare latkes and
celebrate the holiday in New York’s Lower East Side in 1912.

Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster
by Jonathan Auxier, published by Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams,
won the Sydney Taylor Book Award in the Older Readers category. Auxier
masterfully weaves Jewish themes and characters into the story of Nan
Sparrow, a chimney climbing girl in Victorian London, and her remarkable
friendship with Charlie, the soot golem who saves her life.

What the Night Sings by Vesper Stamper,
illustrated by the author, published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of
Random House Children’s Books, won the Sydney Taylor Book Award in the
Teen Readers category. This beautifully illustrated novel tells the
story of teen Holocaust survivor Gerta as she struggles to reconcile
her identity and desires in the wake of tragedy.

SILVER MEDALISTS

Five Sydney Taylor Honor Books were also recognized. For Younger Readers, the Honor Books are A Moon for Moe and Mo by Jane Breskin Zalben, illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini, published by Charlesbridge, and Through the Window: Views of Marc Chagall’s Life and Art
by Barb Rosenstock, illustrated by Mary Grandpré, published by Alfred
A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books. For Older
Readers, the Honor Books are All Three Stooges, by Erica S. Perl, published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, and The Length of a String
by Elissa Brent Weissman, published by Dial Books for Young Readers, an
imprint of Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random
House. For Teen Readers, the Honor Book is You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone
by Rachel Lynn Solomon, published by Simon Pulse, an imprint of Simon
& Schuster Children’s Publishing.

In addition to the medal winners,
the Award Committee designated nine Notable Books of Jewish Content
for 2019. More information about the Sydney Taylor Book Award and a
complete listing of the award winners and notables can be found at www.sydneytaylorbookawards.org.

Winning authors and illustrators will receive their awards at the
Annual Conference of the Association of Jewish Libraries, to be held in
Los Angeles, California, from June 17 – 19, 2019. Gold and silver
medalists will also participate in a blog tour February 10-14, 2019. For
more information about the blog tour please visit www.jewishlibraries.org/blog.
An exclusive interview with the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee
Chair Susan Kusel may be heard on The Book of Life podcast at www.bookoflifepodcast.com.

The Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) promotes Jewish
literacy through enhancement of libraries and library resources and
through leadership for the profession and practitioners of Judaica
librarianship. The Association fosters access to information, learning,
teaching and research relating to Jews, Judaism, the Jewish experience
and Israel. AJL is an affiliate of the American Library Association.
More information is available at www.jewishlibraries.org.

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2019 Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award Winner Chosen

The Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award Competition committee is pleased
to announce the recipient of the 2019 award. Jessica Littmann, author of
A Corner of the World, will receive the award
at the annual conference of the Association of Jewish Libraries to be
held in Los Angeles, California from June 17-19, 2019. The Award
is offered annually to an unpublished manuscript that has broad appeal
to readers aged 8-13 and presents Jewish life in a positive light. The
committee members felt that A Corner of the World had the perfect amount
of Jewish content and values combined with complex contemporary themes.

A Corner of the World tells the story
of two unlikely friends, Maya and Sam, who team up to make a
difference in their community. Maya and Sam are both students at a
Jewish day school who, like many middle school students, struggle with
personal challenges that make them feel alone. When violence affects a
member of their school's staff, Maya and Sam find common cause in a
mitzvah project which brings healing and hope to a Chicago neighborhood
in the spirit of tikkun olam.

In writing A Corner of the World, Ms.
Littmann was inspired by a news story she had read about two
teenagers who raised money to build a playground for disadvantaged
children in Chicago. She said further that she “tried to provide a
snapshot of the issues that contemporary Jewish kids face in the
classroom and in their lives as part of the great community.”

Having grown up reading and loving Sydney Taylor’s All-of-a-Kind Family
books, Ms. Littmann is thrilled to have been selected for this award
and feels “as if she’s traveling in her own personal rainbow.” Ms.
Littmann, who lives in Evanston, Illinois, is a teacher by training. She
is currently working as a freelance writer and serves as a member of
the board of Beth Hillel B’nai Emunah Academy. A Corner of the World is her first novel.